Citing numbers, Napolitano rebukes Perry's border statements

Friday

Jul 16, 2010 at 12:13 PM

LAREDO - Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Thursday she was being "firm" rather than testy with Gov. Rick Perry recently while he again was hammering the federal government about security along the Texas border.

Napolitano spoke with Perry late last month as Hurricane Alex threatened Texas before making landfall in Mexico. When Perry steered the call about storm readiness toward getting more National Guard troops, Perry said Napolitano became "a little testy."

"He said I was testy. I thought I was firm," Napolitano said, smiling.

The quip got laughs from an auditorium of border sheriff deputies and Border Patrol agents at Texas A&M International University, where Napolitano announced $60 million in grants to strengthen security along the southwest border. Texas will receive $17 million, more than any other state, under the program known as Operation Stonegarden.

The money is part of what Napolitano called a record amount of resources the southwest border has received since President Obama took office.

Napolitano reminded law enforcement officials how Border Patrol troops have doubled since 2004, and said illegal weapons seizures along the border rose 29 percent compared to the previous year.

Napolitano said she perhaps needed to provide "more information" to Perry, who has been slapping at Washington on everything from border security to education to federal spending.

"The numbers tell the tale," Napolitano said. "I would simply say look at the numbers."

In other border news Thursday:

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson plans to host a meeting of U.S. and Mexican border governors in his state, a venue change in response to Mexican governors' objections to Arizona's tough new immigration enforcement law.

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